


Lust in Fluff

by Eliott_Rust



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 08:11:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14712375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliott_Rust/pseuds/Eliott_Rust
Summary: Non beta'd, we go all in.PWP. Tina is depressed and Setzer's got the hots for cute espers.WARNING  mention of suicide.





	1. Chapter 1

The light sounds of bare foot hitting the wood on the upper deck of the Blackjack behind her made Tina jump in surprise. She heard the familiar noise of a lighter’s flame hitting the tip of a cigarette, and even if the flickering light allowed her to see the face of her nightly visitor, Tina didn’t need to see him to know who the only smoker of the crew was. Their pilot. The dubious gambler with decidedly weird mannerisms and questionable moral standards, Setzer Gabbiani. The young man’s tone gave away his surprise at finding Tina on the deck in the middle of the night, but all she could think of was her definitely too fluffy appearance. His unplanned presence made her feel nervous. 

“-Oh, you can’t sleep either, chérie?  
-Don’t stare, please. I’m still not comfortable with these ... Looks?” 

She sighed. 

“-Ha. Forget it. I’m not too comfortable with anything, lately.  
-Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. Honest. But ... I’ve never befriended an esper before, and I’m so awfully curious. I’m sorry, Tina.”

Setzer averted his eyes but it was hard not to look. The team had been struck by lightning at Tina’s sudden morph into some pink fluffy creature. It took a little time to adjust, not to mention Tina still wasn’t so sure of the way she could control the shape shifting, and it made things even more awkward for her. The rest of the crew ... Well, the first surprise gone, they got used to witness the few ups and downs of their friend’s newly acquired skill. Tina’s light voice chimed in the peaceful night as they were resting side by side in silence against the railguard. 

“-Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. I’m getting used to be some kind of ... Half-breed monster ? I’m just starting to understand so much about all the weird things I could do without having any idea of what was happening and... I talk too much. You just wanted a smoke, it’s me who should apologize for my ramblings.”

The gambler looked at his young companion with a saddened look. The poor girl was lost, and hell did she have the right to be! But he had no idea how to comfort her. They weren’t close, to be honest, he even thought he might scare her girl-scout side a little. However, he wasn’t the kind of guy to let someone cry without trying at least to bring some human warmth. He extended his arm.

“-Hey. Come here, sugar.  
-...”

She hesitated, but the uncertainty lasted less than a few seconds. She scouted closer to the taller guy, pausing an instant before her fur touched his skin through his opened shirt. A confident arm wrapped around her waist, making her shiver in surprise, getting rid of her doubts, bringing her to settle against warm skin. Tina was tense, her body rigid and her mind overflown by contradictory thoughts, but the heat that radiated from the man who was holding her finally reassured her. She rested her face against his chest, even pushing the fabric of his shirt a little to feel his skin. After all, she was covered in fur, she thought to herself. That wasn’t real contact. Setzer was still smoking, holding her patiently, one hand caressing her back soothingly, probing and curiously pawing at her fur, but still firmly keeping her safe in a strong and tender embrace.

Tina had never been with a man before that. Not to mention, she barely knew Setzer. Her mind screamed in horror upon realizing that no one had ever held her that close in her human form. She backed away, sharp claws leaving a few trails of blood on Setzer’s torso. Surprise and incomprehension filled his sunset eyes, but he didn’t seem mad at her.

“-Aouch! Hey, careful, chérie. What’s wrong?  
-Sorry, oh my god, I hurt you, I’m sorry, I didn’t ... I was scared, I don’t know, I...  
-Shh. I’m okay, come on, these tiny little claws? No big deal at all. I’ve seen worse, as you can see.” 

He mockingly showed the scars on his cheek. He was right, the little trails of blood that Tina had left on his chest were nothing but scratches. However, Tina wasn’t in the mood to see any sense, panic taking over her mind. She pushed Setzer’s hand away when he tried hugging her, leaning her face against his chest. A pink tongue went past pink lips, and she started licking at his wounds with an unsettling concentration, the dedication of a cat mother cleaning her cubs in all of her gestures. 

Setzer’s cigarette fell from his lips. Tina jumped back once more when her brain realized what her body was doing. 

“-What the... What was I..? Oh gods.  
-It’s... Okay, I guess? You got scared and you panicked for a while. I can’t say I dislike that kind of healing spell.”

He smirked, the initial surprise quickly vanishing. Setzer prided himself in being used to the most unusual things. Tina’s head dropped.

“-I’m a monster of some kind, am I not?” 

She was pulled into a tight hug once more, her body wrapped in warmth along with expensive perfume and the rich, acrid smell of his tobacco. Tina hated this mix, on regular days. But this was a most unusual night. She pushed herself even further against Setzer’s body.

“-You’re just you, Tina. And we all love you. If anything, as far as I’m concerned, the fur thingie makes me want to cuddle you.”

A muffled giggle came from the face that was crushed against his chest. 

“-You’re a gentle guy, you know that, Setzer? I would’ve never thought.”

He gave her his trademark laid-back grin. 

“-Ha, judging a book by its cover... So cruel and short-sighted.  
-The inner pages don’t seem any less rowdy, to be honest. But I think I was mistaken.” 

Tina lifted her head to meet his eyes. Her heart was beating fast, and she considered her options. She needed comfort, she needed to feel human, she needed to feel like any girl in this world, in spite of her difference. She could never be a regular person. However, the only one who tried his best to make her think that she belonged to their world was the very man who claimed high and loud that he was the archetype of a social outcast. 

The irony of this night’s events made Tina smile again. She didn’t want to think of what would have happened if that had been someone else who had met her on the deck. She stood on her tiptoes to steal a kiss from the gambler. He let her have it, then gave into it, both his hands digging into the muscles of her back, allowing her to go past his lips. Their tongues met, and that was a strange sensation, all this fluffiness against his skin, but a delightful one. This was new, unexpected, and it quite turned Setzer on. The kiss they shared was experienced from his side, but her lips were hesitant, and Tina retrieved her tongue very fast, a little disgusted at the sensation. Setzer kissed her once again, making it slow, allowing her to taste his mouth once more patiently, before breaking the soft contact and kissing her on the nose. 

“-Feeling better now, ma puce?” 

The insides of Tina’s lower abdomen were burning. She wanted so much more all of a sudden, and she wasn’t the least bit afraid of going full course. Her soft fingers slid against the red marks that she had left on his skin minutes before. 

“-Not yet. I want you. All of you, Setzer. I want to be one of the girls. I want love. I want ... sex.”

She felt her cheeks burning at the last word, but Tina didn’t care : after all, in that guise, he couldn’t see her blush. And her little provocation seemed to have hit the right spot : Setzer took one step back, his eyes searching for hers, his head slightly tilted to one side, his expression open if a little surprised.

“-Dear, I’m not sure I’m really the kind of guy you need.  
-You’re here, and now, I know you’re someone good. Make me feel human. Make me forget all the rest.” 

The young metis wasn’t really scared to request this from that man, any shyness left behind by then. If there was one guy aboard who wouldn’t bat an eye at the idea of sleeping with a furry virgin, that would be him. He kissed her again, amused at her awkward way of trying dirty talk, then he took her hand. 

“-Alright. Let’s get back inside.” 

They sneaked into his bedroom, careful not to wake the others up. Luckily, Setzer knew his ship like the back of his hand, and dodging the creaky wood boards of the floor was easy enough. Tina was hovering a few centimeters over the ground anyway. When they finally reached the haven of his private quarters, after having lit the bedpost lights, he turned to her and smile. 

“-What do you say about trying some anti gravitational sex? With your magic, that could be fun, right? I bet you’ve never done it like that before!” 

She smiled and giggled, awfully embarrassed.

“-Well, truthfully, I have never done that before.”

She cleared her throat.

“-At all.”

Setzer remained carefully expressionless, but he wasn’t prepared for that. 

“-Oh. You mean you ...  
-I’m sorry. What a drag, eh? Furry monster girl is a virgin... I knew I should have told you bef...”

He rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her against him once more, then letting himself both fall backwards on the bed. He looked at her from his horizontal position, his shirt doing nothing to hide his pale features, his smile and words warm and reassuring as he extended his hand towards Tina once more. 

“-Shut up, will you? Everything will be just fine.” 

They kissed, Setzer removing his clothes to match his partner’s nakedness. Well, maybe it wasn’t nakedness with a fur coat, but he definitely didn’t feel at ease being almost fully dressed and her wearing nothing. She stared at his scars, quickly losing her focus as swift hands explored her whole body. The pink curls on her small frame were soft and warm, not quite like human hair but more like real soft fur. The whole thing was at once very different, yet very similar to regular sex. Tina’s trust and a certain tenderness made everything easier. Plus, the gambler never really thought twice about making love to someone he liked, especially if he was asked so in the most adorable way. Setzer cupped one of Tina’s breasts softly, kissing again but focused on finding her nipple under her unusual features. He blew softly on her fur to reveal a small, rounded and very pale nipple, immediately covering it with hungry lips. A muffled moan saluted his success. Tina’s hands were lost in Setzer’s hair, she tried her best not to harm him, fighting her desire to claw at his back when he did her good. When his right hand landed between the folds of her sex, Tina moaned louder, biting her lip not to warn the others about their little experimental night. He went down on her, and she lost her mind. She bit her wrist, pawing at the covers, growling even as he inserted one finger inside her tightness. She pleaded him to fuck her. 

“-Don’t you wanna come like this first?  
-No. I want you inside. I want to feel what it’s like.”

She sounded bold but he could feel her voice shaking. She hadn’t even touched him yet, perhaps for fear of hurting him again. Setzer took her right hand and wrapped it around his length. Tina started pumping slowly, encouraged by his sighs, delighted when he finally moaned. She dragged him over her, to take yet another kiss. That one tasted bitter with her juices, but she enjoyed it all the most. He smiled, sighed again as she pawed his shaft harder, and spoke in a huskier tone than she had ever heard.

“-So, how do you want it ?  
-I don’t know. What do you prefer ? What’s the best ?  
-Anything is good. What would make you more comfortable ? Controlling or letting me do it ?  
-You mean, me on top ?”

Tina had been used so much before that she wasn’t ready to give such control to a man, regardless of how much she trusted this man right then. Regardless of having entrusted him with her first night of love. She would definitely keep control. 

“-I’ll top.  
-Fine, I’m lazy.”

They chuckled lightly, as they shifted positions. A few adjustments were necessary, along with a few nervous streaks of laughter due to Tina’s lack of practice, but she finally managed to straddle him. He positioned himself and slowly entered her, letting her move at her own pace, his hands resting on her hips. Tina watched dreamily the dark pools of his pupils slowly eating away his irises as she took him deeper, delighted by the sheer sensation of power that giving pleasure to another human being brought to her. The pain wasn’t unbearable as she had been told, if anything, the sensation of being stretched felt slightly alien and uncomfortable, but she somehow knew this wouldn’t last. She took him deep with one last move, making Setzer gasp in delight. With his eyes closed and the expression of bliss on his face, she suddenly found him beautiful. She leaned forward to kiss him out of his daze, and he opened his eyes to meet a very fur-less Tina rocking her hips over his body. The surprise gone, they both laughed.

“-Well, at least we found one way to make you shift back.  
-I can’t say I don’t enjoy it.” 

They made it last for a while, Setzer pushing Tina to her limits so that she overcomes her shyness and touches herself as he was thrusting into her. She came seemingly hard, after an excruciating long time when he thought he was going to lowkey die. Her body wasn’t accustomed yet to all the new sensations, but she was seemingly ready to try anything now that the deed was done. She made him come on her stomach, then she had him ride her. The second time, she asked him to come inside but he withdrew, again shooting his load over her belly button. They kissed once more, less passionately, exhaustion having the best of their lust. Tina snuggled against the gambler, who pulled the covers up to their noses. She relaxed against his skin, inhaling that intoxicating smell of someone who just had sex. She tried holding him even closer. Tina had closed her eyes, when she opened them again out of concern. 

“-Err ... Setzer, do ... Do you mind if I sleep here?”

He chuckled hoarsely at the question.

“-Do you mind if the others know?”

All false modesty was gone, and Tina’s words bore no hesitation.

“-Not at all.”

He cradled her closer.

“-Stay.”


	2. Chapter 2

That little starry night between the gambler and the half-esper wasn’t meant to last, it was merely an impulse over a moment of trust and tenderness. True love wasn’t what Tina expected from their time together, as for Setzer, his hesitation to take her to bed at first was quickly washed away by Tina’s attitude. She made it clear that she wouldn’t ask for anything more, but still needed the comfort and human warmth. Setzer was gentleman enough to see Tina as an adult who could make her own decisions. 

But not all people in the team were as open-minded as he was. 

The morning after turned awkward for some members of the team, who easily enough started looking down on Setzer for luring an innocent and lost girl to his bed. No one on board had missed anything from their special time together - wooden panels weren’t thick enough to muffle passionate lovemaking, no matter how silent they had tried to be at first. Tina, however, handled everything remarkably well, as she quickly calmed down any latent quarrel by talking sense into an overprotective Locke and a still distrusting Celes, who had little love for the gambler. Tina was nothing but fangs and claws as she defended her right to behave like any other adult on board. She remarked that they all entrusted the very pilot with their lives while boarding the Blackjack, yet they still called him “too dubious” when all Tina did was sleeping with him. The words blurted out from her mouth, harsh yet truthful.

“-You’re all hypocrites. How did you say, already, Setzer?   
-Faux-culs.   
-Yes, that’s it. You’re a bunch of faux-culs!”

By the time Tina was finished, every soul aboard the Blackjack respected her decisions. Setzer never interfered, remaining at the wheel, a cryptic smile on his face. That little lady definitely had guts, but the gambler never expected her to stand up for him against her friends like that. Something warm bloomed in his chest, and he crushed the feeling with the smoke of a cigarette.

However, in spite of all this, the young woman couldn’t help but growing closer to the gambler than she was to the others, even when in came to Locke. The wanderer and her often met on the deck of the airship in the middle of the night, frequently talking about sweet nothings, although sometimes, their conversations grew deeper and more personal. Something in Setzer’s behavior made him a trustful confident to Tina’s eyes, something she couldn’t really pinpoint but he definitely had a maturity and an insight that the Returners didn’t possess. They shared their doubts, their concern about the future, their fears even. The relationship they had was one that puzzle ordinary people the most, that kind of bond which only exists from time to time but remained as strong as if it had never known any interruption. They spent their nights together when they decided to. 

Or rather, when Tina decided to. It never seemed to bother the gambler, who opened his arms, his bed and his heart whenever she came to him without asking any questions. Sometimes, Tina wondered what Setzer really thought about her.

Months had been going by, that night, winter slowly was chilling the ropes and outer mechanisms of the Blackjack. Tina couldn’t sleep, and she found Setzer climbed on the rail guard, a flashlight hanging from his mouth, as he was busy securing some of the mooring cables. He just gave her a nod and resumed his work. 

“-Something wrong, Cap’tain?” 

He shook his head, tying one last knot before jumping back on the deck. 

“-Just a very windy night. Nothing worth of your concern, Chérie.” 

He swiftly gathered the folds of his cloak around his thin frame, and shivered. 

“-I dislike wintertime when it comes to maintenance. The weather is hell, and everything on the ship tends to break down more often. That chilly wind ain’t good for the rudders either. Bah, spring will come again.” 

She came closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist to share bodily warmth, dragging her hands up and down on the gambler’s back. He hugged her back, resting his chin on top of her head. 

“-Yeah, springtime will come, or so we can hope.   
-You sound grim, Tina. What’s wrong?   
-I don’t really know, I’m just feeling blue, I guess.   
-Hm. I’d gladly talk about this, but it’s too cold here. My fur coat isn’t as good as yours.” 

This earned him a smile from Tina. 

“-Then let’s get back inside. Is your room accessible enough?   
-Always. You never know when a lady might ask you to come over.” 

They giggled like highschoolers, before making their way back downstairs in silence. Setzer dropped his coat on the sofa before joining Tina on his unmade bed, sitting with his legs crossed next to her. They started talking again, the details of the conversation lost and decaying into whispers and kisses, while Tina started to drag her hands over Setzer’s knees, and ventured upwards. He let her have her way, not responding yet, his attitude clearly showing that he would comply to anything she could ask from him. She shifted her position to get closer to the gambler, progressing on her hands and knees, finding his lips and biting into that rough, frost-damaged mouth of his. 

He leaned into her kiss, battling for dominance as a joke, but quickly withdrew, for he knew Tina would take the lead. She deepened her kiss and pushed him back down on the bed, then she straddled him, pinning his hands over his head. He bit her lower lip, and kissed her passionately once more. They disposed of their clothes as quickly as they could, when Tina froze on her spot all of a sudden as her nails were lightly scratching at her lover’s chest. 

“-Setzer, I’m sorry.   
-Eh? Du calme, chérie. It didn’t hurt.   
-No, no, I’m sorry I only come to your bed when I’m feeling down.   
-That’s as good a reason as anything else, you know.   
-No.” 

Tina left Setzer’s lap, and all he could do was remain on his back as he watched her leaving him naked and aroused in the chill of his bedroom, bemused and at a loss for words. 

“-The others keep telling me I deserve better than that, but they’re wrong. It’s you, it’s always been you.   
-What, me?   
-You deserve better than someone who only beds you to feel normal.” 

The soft violet of his eyes had turned darker at her words, yet Setzer still concealed any emotion from his features. He rolled on his left side to make eye-contact. 

“-I don’t see the problem since I'm okay with that.   
-Well, I’m not. You’re a gentle guy, you’re clever, witty, rich, I’m well-placed to know that you’re a good lover, and you own the ONLY airship in the world. Setzer, tell me what’s wrong with you. How come nobody shares your life ? How come you do foolish things like abducting a girl when almost ANY girl would willingly follow you anywhere ? How come you throw your life away with all your cigars and your whiskey ?   
-Tina, it’s just my way of living. Don’t come at me being judgmental now.” 

He pulled the covers up to his waist, but didn’t shift his position, making clear that the sooner their conversation ended, the better he would feel. 

“-I’m not judging. I ...   
-You are.   
-Maybe. But mostly, I’m trying to understand. You’re my friend, and I’ve been using you. For that, I’m deeply sorry.”

He purposely ignored her apologies.

“-What exactly are you trying to understand ?   
-The reason why you allowed me to do this to you, since well, I supposed you realized that ages before I did.” 

Setzer sighed. 

“-I don’t care about this, Tina. If it makes us both happy, what’s the point in arguing? Yeah, I knew all along. No, I didn’t give a damn. So what?   
-I don’t want this. You deserve someone who truly loves you. You deserve a love story as glamour as your life!” 

Setzer flinched at these words. 

“-I ... I don’t want anything like that.” 

Tina felt he was breaking, and she pushed him over the edge. 

“-But WHY, dammit?  
-That’s none of your business, Tina.   
-I’m not leaving until you tell me why you’re trying not to FUCKING CRY !”

She had raised her voice loud enough for a panicked Edgar to enter the master’s bedroom uninvited less than a minute later. Cursing was so unusual for Tina that the king immediately understood something was wrong on the lower deck. He was greeted by a naked couple on the bed and stopped dead in his tracks with a death glare from Setzer. 

“-Piss off, mate. That’s none of your concern.  
-Setzer ..?”

The unusually harsh tone of the otherwise friendly gambler surprised the young king of Figaro, who eyed Tina questioningly. She only bothered covering her chest, seemingly calm as ever. 

“-Tina ???  
-We’re alright, Edgar. Please, leave us alone.   
-Alright, alright, your decision. Just don’t get at each other’s throat, okay?”

With that, Edgar took his leave, somewhat concerned about the two others. Was it just bickering between lovers or something more? He shrugged it off as silence wasn’t broken again. 

He would ask questions later. 

Setzer let out the breath he had been holding when the door was finally closed, granting them some privacy again. He looked at Tina right in the eye, and let out another deep sigh.

“-Why do you want to know that bad ? Can’t I just be the way I am ?  
-Broken dysfunctional people are easy to spot for other broken dysfunctional people, you know.   
-You’re bluffing. I don’t want to talk about that anyway.   
-No. You are bluffing. Earning time won’t change my resolve.”

He sighed again, rubbed his eyes, and tried to come up with the most vague explanation he had in stock. He almost never shared his past, but that night, Setzer was in that state where he needed to talk about it a little. Sometimes, talking briefly eased the pain forever nested in his chest.

“-I had someone, but that was a long time ago. Now, I don’t have anyone, and I have no desire to be in a relationship whatsoever.   
-Did she leave you?   
-She did. Not on her own volition, that is.  
-What do you mean by that? If she didn’t willingly go, why didn’t you try finding her back? She couldn’t possibly go that far. And you have an airship.”

The question was very innocent, and Setzer knew Tina couldn’t guess, but pain washed away all his self control. He grabbed Tina and pushed her down under him, pinning her to the bed with his weight.

“-Because she went to the only place where I couldn’t follow. Are you really that thick, Tina ?  
-Wha ... Where ?  
-She is DEAD. DEAD. D E A D. Voilà, tu as ton scoop, t’es contente maintenant ? Tu vas me laisser tranquille?”

Setzer was shaking Tina, having grabbed her upper arms. He realized he was being brutal, letting go of her almost as soon as he had started, falling on his back like a ragdoll next to her, staring at the ceiling. She barely heard him muttering an apology for being rough. The gambler’s voice was broken, almost inaudible. Tina was shaken by the violence of her friend’s reaction, but she scouted closer to him anyway to listen to him. 

“-Well, it’s not like I didn’t try to follow her, but once more, I got too lucky for my own sake.”

The gambler’s eyes had shifted to his left wrist, a unwilling move that Tina certainly hadn’t missed. She stared at his damaged skin. At first, she didn’t notice anything, because the amount of scars on Setzer’s skin made things difficult, but Tina finally saw them. Unlike most of his scars that were irregular, some rough cuts on his pale skin, there were two of them that stood out, perfectly straight, perfectly parallel, sliding from his wrist up to the first half of his forearm. Now that she had noticed, and since Setzer did no move to prevent her from looking, Tina couldn’t see anything else. She grabbed both his hands with their palms upturned. Of course the other wrist was damaged too. Tina summoned all of her strength to look at Setzer’s eyes again. 

Everything was finally beginning to make sense.

“- Setzer ... I’m ...   
-Sorry? Yeah, I’m glad. End of story.  
-I didn’t know. I never imagined.   
-It’s ok. Could you just leave me be, now? I’m not in the mood anymore. I’d like to stay alone.”

At least, many strange things in Setzer’s demeanour had become clear to Tina. His way of life. The reason why he would always keep these gauntlets of his, even when he was just playing cards or dining with the others. He never bothered hiding his other scars, come think of it, completely lacking modesty most of the time, but these, he never took off. The first time she saw him without was the first time they had had sex. But she hadn’t paid attention at the moment, and anyway, the cuts were hard to notice for someone who didn’t know. 

Or for someone who never attempted suicide, anyway. 

Tina had assumed that the gauntlets were like his jewelry, his scarves, his mannerism, and all those little things that made the gambler so weirdly unique. Now that she knew, Tina felt bad for being too curious.

“-Will you be okay?   
-Yeah, I’m always okay, whatever happens. Now shoo. And ... Please, don’t tell the others, alright ?”

Tina nodded and rose from the gambler’s bed. When she regretfully gathered her clothes and left, Setzer looked away, his back to her. He never answered her goodbye. As soon as Tina was gone, he wrapped himself up in one of his bed covers, opened the window and lit a smoke. He didn’t try to repress his tears, as he whispered an answer for Tina she would never hear.

“-See, Tina ? That’s why I don’t want intimacy anymore. People get concerned, and they get curious. And in the end, old scars start bleeding again. I’m just a gambler. I live in a world where everybody knows my name, but no one can read my game. I’d rather get used than ...”

He shook his head and took a drag of smoke. 

“-Yeah, I’d rather get used than suffer like that again.”

That lie sounded poor even to himself, but Setzer needed this to stay alive. He threw his cigarette out of the window and settled back under the covers, struggling to find sleep. 

The next morning was awkward for everyone this time, Setzer merely ignoring all the people that crowded his ship, not talking to anyone, not even to Edgar who tried his best to ease the tension. Sabin finally -unwillingly- managed to get his brother off of Setzer’s back by reminding him that the main concerns of the King of Figaro should certainly not be either playing blackjack with his newly found friend, or being curious about said friend’s love affairs, when the world was facing a major crisis. Edgar let go for the moment being, because Sabin was being a drag, but mostly cos he knew Setzer wouldn’t open up so soon about what had happened the night before. 

He would ask questions later. 

Tina tried her best to be non-existent, but failed miserably. All the Returners were puzzled by the events of that night -They were still mostly young adults, curious as hell, prone to gossiping, and seeing their two friends in such a state worried them to say the least. However, what the Returners deemed to be a lovers’ quarrel and what they described to Tina as well as to Setzer like “something unavoidable because Setzer and her were too different” made the two ex lovers very uncomfortable. 

It took more than a few weeks to break the silence that had fallen over the two friends. The midnight upper deck meetings started again with springtime. But they never ended between anyone’s sheets anymore. Even though they somehow managed to act comfortable around each other again, Tina never got to see Setzer without his wristbands anymore after that. Somehow, they both liked to pretend that she had never seen the hideous truth what was hidden under chiseled gold.


End file.
